Matt Kenseth Suspended, Danica Patrick Penalized: Latest Details, Reaction

NASCAR announced its penalties to Danica Patrick and Matt Kenseth on Tuesday following Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway.     

Patrick was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points after she attempted to wreck David Gilliland's No. 38 car in the middle of the race in retaliation for an earlier slight. She actually suffered more damage to her car in the incident, while Gilliland drove away with few issues:

Patrick's punishment pales in comparison to that of Kenseth, who drove Joey Logano into the wall. Logano was leading at the time but finished 37th following Kenseth's intervention:

Kenseth was suspended for two races and placed on six months' NASCAR probation. NASCAR confirmed Kenseth is the first Sprint Cup driver to be suspended for on-track actions, per Dustin Long of NBC Sports.

Kenseth said he was "unfairly made the example instead of knowing where the line is" and he's "extremely disappointed," per Jeff Gluck of USA Today. 

"I’m not going to change how I race," Kenseth continued, per Gluck. "I’m going to continue to have the respect on the racetrack I feel like I deserve."

Joe Gibbs Racing attempted to appeal the suspension on behalf of Kenseth, but lost on Thursday, according to Dustin Long of NascarTalk.com. Although the probation will now end after Dec. 31 instead of six months, per Brant James of USA Today.

"Based upon our extensive review, we have concluded that the No. 20 car driver, who is no longer in the Chase, intentionally wrecked the No. 22 car driver, a Chase-eligible competitor who was leading the race at the time," NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell said in a press release.

O'Donnell also cited the "premium on each and every race" in the Chase format as further reasoning for Kenseth's suspension. Logano still has two races to get into the top four of the Chase grid, but Sunday's crash could dash his hopes of winning the title.

According to ESPN.com's Bob Pockrass, NASCAR could allow Kenseth to race while it makes a judgment on the appeal.